


Right Here

by kiyala



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Couch Cuddles, Enjolras is feeling a thing, Family Issues, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-28
Updated: 2013-12-28
Packaged: 2018-01-06 10:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1105652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enjolras comes home from Christmas with his family wanting to see Grantaire, while Grantaire comes home refusing to go out and see anyone, insisting that he's fine. He doesn't sound fine to Enjolras.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Right Here

Enjolras comes home from Christmas with his family, desperately wanting to see Grantaire. He's heard the saying that _absence makes the heart grow fonder_ several times but he's never truly thought that it would happen to him and certainly not with Grantaire. 

For the past four days, Enjolras has been at home with his family. While he doesn't particularly get along with them, it's nowhere near as bad as other families he knows. He's spent the entire time arguing with them all the same, but these arguments just don't compare to the ones that he's used to having when he's back here. For the entire time, he's been thinking of Grantaire, of the arguments that they usually have, and strangely, Enjolras has been _missing him_.

He'd very nearly sent Grantaire a text the first night reading, _I wish you were here_ , but he'd stared at it before hitting send, and hastily deleted it instead. He'd considered calling Combeferre to ask him what all of this meant, but he'd reconsidered, and kept it to himself for the rest of his stay. 

Now, however, he's back, and while he is enjoying the catch-up with Courfeyrac and Combeferre, on the way to the Musain to see the others, Enjolras is looking forward to seeing Grantaire, looking forward to arguing with him again, but more than that, just looking forward to being in his presence again. It's strange, and he still doesn't quite understand it, but that's okay because he'll figure it out. He'll see Grantaire, speak to him and ask him how his Christmas was, and eventually, he'll figure out exactly why his heart is racing and his palms are sweating, simply because he's on the way to the Musain.

Except when he gets there, Grantaire is nowhere to be seen. He looks through the room, twice, but Grantaire's favourite seat towards the back remains empty and he's nowhere else in the room either. He frowns, but makes no mention of it. There's no proper meeting today because everyone's catching each other up on what they've done for the few days that they've been away for anyway. It means that there are no arguments to be missing out on, but Enjolras can't shake the unhappy feeling that settles around him for the entire night. 

He doesn't quite know how to put it into words but then, when Jehan approaches him while everyone else is heading home, Enjolras finds that he doesn't quite need to. Jehan gives him a knowing look, touching Enjolras' elbow lightly. 

"Are you looking for Grantaire?"

"Do you know where he is?"

Jehan smiles sadly, and that in itself is enough to make Enjolras' chest clench up with worry. "He's at his apartment. He came home a couple of days ago and said he just needs a while, okay? He says that he's fine."

"Fine?" Enjolras repeats, frowning. "He's holed up on his own. That doesn't sound _fine_ to me."

"Enjolras…"

The problem is that Enjolras knows that Grantaire's relationship with his parents is much worse than most. Even Enjolras cannot miss the way that talk of family makes Grantaire stiffen and immediately look uncomfortable. Enjolras knows that whenever Grantaire is forced to spend time with family, he returns dispirited, unusually quiet, and Enjolras hates it because it's wrong, because Grantaire doesn't belong in a quiet corner somewhere, keeping to himself. 

"Do you know what they said to him?" Enjolras asks, not bothering to add, _this time_.

Jehan sighs. "The usual."

Enjolras hates the fact that Jehan doesn't even need to expand on that to know exactly what he means. He shakes his head, bidding his goodbyes to everyone and grabbing his coat on the way out.

He briefly stops by his own apartment, before making his way to Grantaire's apartment. He knocks on the door, frowning when he gets no response. He tries the door handle, surprised when it turns, the door swinging open.

"Damn it Jehan, I said I'm not in the mood," Grantaire mutters, from the vague direction of the couch.

"I'm not Jehan," Enjolras says, closing the door behind him before walking further into the apartment. 

"Enjolras." Grantaire watches him from where he's lying on the couch, and then sighs quietly. "Like I said. Not in the mood."

"I brought leftovers," Enjolras says, indicating the bag that he's carrying. "I was sent home with much more than I'm going to get through on my own. And I also have…"

"Lord of the Rings?" Grantaire asks, when Enjolras holds up a DVD case. "Is that Fellowship of the Ring?"

Enjolras nods. "The extended edition."

Grantaire raises an eyebrow. "You can sit still for three and a half hours?"

"Very funny," Enjolras says dryly. He puts the DVD case down on the coffee table, along with the bag of leftovers. "You weren't at the meeting today."

Grantaire continues to look surprised. "You noticed."

"Of course I did. Nobody to argue with this time."

"Right." Grantaire smiles, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "The arguing."

Enjolras immediately wants to kick himself. "That's not to say it's the only reason I noticed your absence."

Grantaire snorts quietly, unconvinced. "Really."

" _Really_ ," Enjolras replies. He steps closer to the couch but there's nowhere for him to sit, with Grantaire lying on it. "I was—disappointed when you weren't there today at the Musain. I was looking forward to seeing you, and talking to you."

"Please, Enjolras. I don't need you to lie to spare my feelings."

Folding his arms across his chest, Enjolras frowns. "Have you ever known me to do that in the past? I am telling the truth, Grantaire. Why do you think I'm here?"

"Out of some misguided thought that you can _fix_ me. That's what you do, isn't it? Attempt to fix things that can't be mended. I don't need you wasting your time on me."

"It's not a waste of time," Enjolras says firmly. 

"Did you want to argue so badly that because I didn't come to you, you brought the argument to me?" Grantaire laughs hollowly. "How thoughtful of you, Apollo."

Enjolras stares at him for a moment before he blinks and turns away, grabbing the bag of leftovers and going to the kitchen to warm them up. "You need to eat something. Clearly, you haven't had anything yet, and that's why you're being so quarrelsome."

Grantaire sits up on the couch, keeping Enjolras in his sight and scowling at him. "I'm not a _child_."

"You're behaving like one," Enjolras replies, returning to the lounge with enough food for them both. He takes his opportunity to sit on the couch, passing a bowl over to Grantaire. "It wouldn't surprise me at all if you hadn't eaten since coming home."

Grantaire's stomach rumbles, as if to prove Enjolras correct. It's difficult not to look smug, but Enjolras manages.

"Thank you," Grantaire says quietly, before he starts eating. 

"Do you mind if I start the movie?" Enjolras asks. "It's just… as you said, it _does_ go for three and a half hours."

"You're going to stay here for that entire time?" Grantaire asks incredulously.

"Well, if you had something else that you needed to do—"

"No," Grantaire quickly interrupts. "It's not that. It's just… are you sure you don't have better things to do?"

"I wanted to see you," Enjolras says, and pauses awkwardly because he's not entirely sure that those are the words he should have used, but then he pushes on anyway. "And if we're watching The Fellowship of the Ring while we're at it…"

Grantaire huffs out a quiet laugh at that. "Alright, then. If you're sure. You might as well make yourself comfortable."

They're not quite talking, the way that Enjolras had hoped that they would, back when he was walking to the Musain, but this is strangely pleasant in itself. They eat their way through all the food that Enjolras has brought with him, and settle back into the couch to watch the rest of the movie comfortably. 

About an hour in, their shoulders brush against each other. Enjolras hadn't even realised that they'd been leaning towards each other but Grantaire immediately sits up straight, and it draws Enjolras' attention away from the TV screen. Grantaire doesn't move, as if he doesn't dare to. It doesn't look comfortable in the least.

With a quiet sigh, Enjolras reaches for Grantaire, pulling him closer. Grantaire makes a quiet sound of surprise, steadying himself with a hand on Enjolras' chest.

"I'm sorry," Enjolras says quietly. "I'm not good at this, and I don't know how to put it into words—"

"Not buying it," Grantaire replies with a quiet snort. "You are the _best_ at putting things into words."

"Grantaire…"

"Try."

With a small nod, Enjolras takes a deep breath. "I want to be here right now, more than I want to be anywhere else. Because this is where you are, and I spent most of my time at my parents' house wondering what you would have to say during our conversations and arguments, trying to imagine what it would be like to have you there with me."

Grantaire gives him an odd look. "You wouldn't have wanted me there, trust me. I barely wanted to be at my _own_ family's obligatory meet-up."

Enjolras sighs quietly, not knowing what to say. At the very least, he doesn't let go of Grantaire, and Grantaire makes no attempt to move away. They continue watching the movie in silence, until they get to Lothlórien.

"When I read these books as a kid," Grantaire speaks up, "everything was so well-described that I'd try drawing the places myself. I'd spend hours, putting every last detail on each individual leaf of every tree, only to have my parents storm in and declare that I was just wasting my time. I've grown older, but their opinion has never really changed. I'm still wasting my time and no matter what I do, it's just as pointless as drawing details onto the leaves of an imaginary forest."

"I disagree," Enjolras tells him. "I don't think it's pointless at all. Not when it's something you enjoy, that makes you happy. You need to pay attention to those small leaves, because they're what make up the bigger picture. You're incredibly talented, Grantaire. You can do so much more than I could ever dream of, and you do it _well_ , and even putting that aside, I know that you are incredibly kind and caring. You pay attention to all the small details when it comes to our friends. You know exactly how to make them happy when they need it. When they need _anything_. You're always more than willing to do anything you can, and I admire that."

Grantaire looks uncomfortable now, and clears his throat quietly. "Thank you, I guess."

"Ignore what your parents have to say about you. What do they know of you anyway? I see you on a regular basis and I know for certain that you are a good person, and I am glad that we are friends."

Grantaire turns his face away from Enjolras, his cheeks burning brightly. "Can we just get back to the movie? We just missed the whole bit with Galadriel."

Enjolras nods, and doesn't push any further. They go back to watching the movie, but Enjolras can't help noticing the way Grantaire looks a little more relaxed now. When Grantaire leans against him, resting his head on Enjolras' shoulder, Enjolras simply wraps an arm around him in return. 

He'll find the right words soon enough, to make Grantaire understand what he feels, and that he means it. Until then, he's happy to be right here.


End file.
